Canadian Forest Service Publications
Transformation and binding of 13C and 14C-labelled atrazine in relation to straw decomposition in soil. 2000. Benoit, P.; Preston, C.M European Journal of Soil Science 51: 43-54.
Year: 2000
Issued by: Pacific Forestry Centre
Catalog ID: 5418
Language: English
Availability: Not available through the CFS (click for more information).
Abstract
As a source of organic matter, crop residues affect the behaviour of pesticides in agricultural soils. The fate of [U-ring-13C] and [U-ring-14C] atrazine (6-chloro-N-ethyl-N-isopropyl-1,3,5-triazine-2,4-diamine) was investigated during laboratory incubation under controlled conditions in a loamy soil amended with wheat straw at two different states of decomposition: no preliminary decomposition or 6 months' preliminary decomposition. After 3 months, non-extractable, so-called 'bound', 13C-atrazine residues were recovered in three particle-size fractions (>200, 50-200 and <50 mm), and investigated with solid-state 13C-NMR spectroscopy. Parallel incubations with [U-ring-14C] atrazine were carried out to quantify the bound residues as well as the extractable and mineralized fractions. The effect of straw residues on atrazine behaviour depended on whether they had been previously decomposed or not. When straw was decomposed for 6 months prior to incubation, atrazine mineralization was enhanced to 50% of the initial 14C in contrast to 15% of the initial 14C in soil alone and soil amended with fresh straw. In parallel, atrazine bound residues were formed in greater amount representing up to 20% of the initial 14C. CP/MAS 13C-NMR on soil size fractions of soil-straw mixtures after incubation with 13C-atrazine showed that bound residues contained mostly triazinic C, corresponding to atrazine or primary metabolites. Nonhumified organic materials recovered in size fractions >200 and 50-200 mm contained significant amounts of bound residues, especially when straw was added to the soil. CP/MAS 13C-NMR analysis of humic acids obtained from <50-mm fractions was difficult due to overlapping of the native carboxyl 13C signal with the 13C-atrazine signal.